Max Baucus: idiot or shill? Idiot or shill? Because it's one or the other...or, of course, both. Either he thinks it's 1978, when bipartisanship might actually have been relevant, or he is just a bought-and-paid-for creature of the insurance industry... idiot, or shill? You decide.

As I recall, the Medicare Prescription Drug bill passed the Senate with large, bipartisan support. How is that supposed to be a model that inspires public confidence?

Easy one, LL. Baucus gets enormous money from the insurance industry. When he says "bipartisanship," he means "uniting other lawmakers who are on the take like me" to obstruct any meaningful reform. He's not an idiot, because nobody can be that stoopid.

I wish these people could see past their blinding egos long enough to realize that they're extremely bad law-makers.

& I wish each election didn't come down to "the lesser of two evils" vote. Somehow I don't think that was the original intent in our little experiment with Democracy.

The Johnson treatment: It's my way or the highway.

The Reid treatment: Can't we all just get along?

Somewhere in hell, LBJ shakes his head in disgust.

Ah, you just gotta love that Senator Blance "Max" Dubois of Montana just ekeing out a living by the kindness of strangers.

Maybe someone ought to dig into Baucus's financial history, and see first-hand just how deep down in the pockets of the insurance industry he really is....

Max Baucus is a shill and always has been. He knows exactly what he's doing and who it helps. Those insurance industry donations go along way towards ensuring permanent incumbency in a small state.

Let's face it, the people who are controlling things re healthcare reform just don't give a damn about the people they're supposed to serve, and come up with the most transparent bs excuses as to why "bipartisanship" and their stupid little mutual fellating club, network of campaign donors, and revolving door between congress and lobbyists is more important than the well-being of our citizens.
They really think they can pass some POS watered-down to the point of worthlessness legislation and claim some sort of victory for reform. I hope the real Democrats do vote against it, maybe we just need to watch the system continue to crumble and more people need to die and go bankrupt before they get a damn clue.
I still hope for the best since Obama has proven that he gets things done in the long run, but I've said before that I won't vote again for him or any Democrats if they don't do this right.

Sweet baby Jesus. United States of FUBAR.

It's like this: if the medical insurance corporations don't continue to rake in billions of dollars for doing nothing except denying their customers the medical care that they have paid for and are entitled to, then how can they afford to continue bribing Max Baucus? He has to think about things like that, you know.

max baucus is a blatant puppet for the insurance corps -- a shill and a despicable crony for the capitalist killing of american citizens .

healthcare, my friends, like education, employment, food, and shelter, should be a RIGHT, not a privilege, in this country.

we have to be at least that civilized a society, despite what reprehensible thugs masquerading as "libertarians" or "free marketeers" or whatever Goddamn shit-filled monikers they claim, and evil ideologies they believe.

max baucus, from that perspective, is a traitor to his country. and not alone.

(sorry, i git wound up sometimes)

What will inspire public confidence is if lawmakers pass a good bill that lowers costs, ...

The only 'public' Baucus in which wants to inspire confidence is the other 99 senators.

That's his event horizon.

I think we need to face the fact that healthcare reform has been placed in the hands of one man who is completely in the pocket of the industry that needs to be reformed--I'm starting to think it's all just been a big charade to begin with, without real leaders to put their foots up his useless a$$.

"Fundamentally, legislation...that has a large number of senators supporting it is more durable, will be more sustainable and will inspire more public confidence."

Max, legislation that has a large number of the public supporting it would inspire more public confidence.

"Fundamentally, legislation that is historic, that is comprehensive, that has a large number of senators supporting it is more durable," Baucus said in an interview. "It will be more sustainable and will inspire more public confidence."

Max, Max, Max. Look at Social Security. It is widely popular and durable because it works even though your good friends across the aisle would strangle it if they could.

Take away his chairmanship. Geez Reid, actions speak not words.

I think it's time we faced up to the fact that the government of the United States is incapable of acting in accordance with the clearly expressed wishes of the overwhelming majority of the American people.
In my view, this bill will fail or will pass in such a way as to remove any chance for meaningful reform for the next decade.
Disgusting. Democratic government in Amerika is a fantasy farce to be ritually embedded in civics textbooks as a vehicle for brainwashing our kids.

When analyzing politics, one needs to always "follow the money."

Max Baucus picks up, on average, $1,500 per day in political contributions from the health insurance industry. Need we say more?

Ben Nelson does almost as well, and comes from a state where insurance is a major employer. Need we say more?

Evan Bayh's family income is increased $350,000 per year by his wife's "employment" as a health insurance industry advisor and board member on a couple of the companies that would likely lose out with the kind of reform we want. Need we say more?

Olympia Snowe also gets a ton of contributions from the health insurance industry. Need we say more???

Well, what are we going to do about it? There has to be some way to hurt this guy. We have to increase the pressure from constituents, other senators, etc.

If a unanimous GOP and a lone Donkey had passed a resolution paying homage to the maligned shit sandwich, would its bipartisanship sway the gourmet?

Do Baucus or Reid have commitments to vote for the bill if any amendments are adopted or is it the ol' Charlie Brown and Lucy football trick all over again?

"REALLY, Charlie Brown! Would I even SUGGEST that you change the public option to a co-op if I weren't going to support it?"

"Gee, I suppose she wouldn't."

AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH! *THWUMPH*

Time for an anti-Baucus pressure campaign, no? This is absolutely dispicable behavior, and it needs to be called out as such.

After years of being a spineless pushover, Reid tells someone to do something and they ignore him? I'm shocked.

doubtful, screamin' demon: you do realize it's not the '50s? you do realize that there were things that lbj could accomplish then that you can no longer get away with for a whole variety of reasons? you do realize that despite lbj's fabled power, he didn't get a civil rights bill through until he was president?

in short, the notion that if only harry reid made more threats, all would be better is, in my estimation, utopianism: max baucus is an asshole of the first rank. what, exactly, can harry reid threaten him with?

obama can threaten him and we the people can threaten him (i've already written evan bayh and said that if he opposes cloture, i will do my maximum to support any opposition he has the rest of his career), but what precisely can harry reid do?

Any Dem not supporting robust healthcare reform (ie public option) should be written to and threatened with a viable primary opponent as well as negative pac advertising. They can't all retreat to cu$hy industry jobs like Baucus. Write to your Senator to lean on Baucus or suffer the consequences. I write to Schumer from an important zip code, and I believe it has made a difference, at least in his public posture. Tell your Senator that guys like Baucus will be the Waterloo of Obama administration. Healthcare IS the line in the sand.

After WWII, the British, Americans, and Russia came up with a bipartisan or tripartisan agreement about the division of post WWII Germany into East and West Germany and so the cold war began. That worked out well...not.

Doing something fundamentally lousy doesn't make it any less lousy because it was bipartisan. Look at California. I lived there for about 13 years. While I was there, the legislature agreed to deregulate the utilities (and I think by proposition too). I voted against it because even though the utilities were giving away huge rebates initially, I saw the handwriting on the wall, that they would bide their time and jack up rates more than when it was controlled by the municipalities. Not only did they do that, but they manipulated the rates in 2000 and drove the CA economy into the ground, courtesy of TX.

As for the CA budget process, because it requires 2/3 approval to raise taxes (much), every tax increase requires "bipartisan" support. They never get it so they just kick the problem down the road every four years with more and more borrowing. Only now the banks can't or won't lend the money and CA is screwed. It was bipartisan, but it still sucked.

The Medicare prescription plan passed during the Bush years with the infamous doughnut hole was bipartisan, but you would be hard pressed to find many seniors that use the plan to express appreciation for it. The drug companies, however, love it. That was bipartisan.

The No Child Left Behind Act was bipartisan. Find a teacher, or a parent for that matter that is pleased with the result. More testing, less learning. Oh, Neil Bush loves the NCLBA, he scored some choice federal contracts for computer based testing systems for a company he ran (or still runs), which company got it's start up funds from Saudi friends, and which product was rated rather poorly by teachers and administrators. Remember when Barbara Bush gave $1M to the TX school systems to "help" them deal with the burden of all the Katrina kids? That donation was earmarked to be used to pay for more computer testing programs sold by her son Neil Bush.

Government is not the problem, insurance companies are. Cut them out, it is that simple.

I'm sure baucus and the rest of the conservatives who call themselves Democrats would be thrilled if healthcare efforts failed. I'm proud of the senators who say they will vote against baucus's bill.

re: "Baucus told the LA Times: ..."
Is Baucus really this much of an idiot ? Normally this level of stupidity would lead me to believe I was listening to a republican right winger working for Fox.

Umm, howard?

Reid also met with Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), and Orrin Hatch (Utah) -- all members of the Finance Committee -- to let them know Democrats still want to work with them, despite their opposition to every major provision the majority party cares about.

You honestly think LBJ would water down landmark legislation on health care in order to make the extremists of a tiny minority party happy? Beyond the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (a decent bill that was whittled practically to the bone to please southern Democrats), name one example of his doing that while majority leader.

Precisely what are Bacuus own insurance arrangements.

The time has come to list precisely the insurance given by each and every senator. Set up a website listing same.

Then have Moveon or someone like that organize a letter to the editor campaign in which we state that Senator Sorgum - and his family - get such-and-such a health care. And dear Sen Sorgum is a blood sucking vampire until and unless each and every one of us gets at least the same.

The time has come to go after Congress' own healthcare - big time.

AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!

It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.

STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.

And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.

Progressive democrats the Tri-Caucus and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and request that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).

Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.

In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!

If President Obama has to declare a NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY to rescue the American people from our healthcare crisis, he will need all the sustained support you can give him. STICK WITH HIM! He’s doing a brilliant job.

THIS IS THE BIG ONE!

THE BATTLE OF GOOD Vs EVIL!

Join the fight.

Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!

God Bless You

Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS

Wouldn't it be nice if Harry started acting more like the good ol' Tom Delay....

Tom's motto: You don't hold the party line as you're expected to, and you'll lose any support in the next election... Better yet, you'll be stripped immediately of any committee assignments.

Let's hope Harry grows a pair and starts taking seniority in consideration in regards to Bayh and Nelson in particular. No reason to even have them on any committees.

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